Piper PA22-150 accident near Girdwood, AK
On August 5, 2019, a Piper PA22-150 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Girdwood, AK. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 5, 2019
- Place
- Girdwood, AK
- Aircraft
- Piper PA22-150 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 61.037°N, 149.045°W
- NTSB ID
- 20190805X82045
Official records · ANC19FA042
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 4, 2019, about 1627 Alaska daylight time, a Piper PA22-150 airplane, N7402D, was destroyed by impact and a postcrash fire when it collided with terrain about 5 miles north of Girdwood Airport (AQY), Girdwood, Alaska. The airline transport pilot (ATP), and three passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was privately owned by one of the passengers and was operated by the ATP pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the area, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which departed AQY about 1615. A friend of the airplane owner stated that he and the owner had been conversing via text message on the day of the accident. The owner, who held a student pilot certificate, indicated that he and the pilot had been drinking alcoholic beverages, but stated that he would not be flying the airplane and would be a passenger on the accident flight. The purpose of the flight was to take the passengers on a short 15-20-minute sightseeing flight of the Girdwood area, which consists of remote, steep, mountainous terrain, ranging from sea level to about 7,000 ft, which is part of the Chugach Mountain Range. Multiple witnesses observed the airplane flying parallel to a mountain ridge before it entered a turn to the north and began a descent. The airplane then disappeared from view, and then they saw a plume of black smoke. One witness saw the airplane performing aggressive maneuvers earlier in the flight, and observed the airplane approach a mountain ridge, its nose pitch
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain due to his impairment from alcohol consumption.
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Browse: Alaska · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
